Following of the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration craft, social media users began sharing a claim regarding its budget, relating it to the subsidy provided for Haj pilgrims.
What are users claiming?: Social media users are claiming that the budget for Chandrayaan-3 was Rs 615 crores, whereas the government's annual budget for the Haj pilgrimage subsidy is Rs 685 crores.
An archive of this tweet can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
How did we find out?: On 16 January 2018, the Central government announced that the subsidy provided to Haj pilgrims – who travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia – had been scrapped.
What was the amount for the subsidy before it was scrapped?: We then used relevant keywords to look for details about the amount allotted for this subsidy, which led us to a document on the Ministry of Civil Aviation's website.
It showed the total subsidy for Haj pilgrims from the year 1994 to 2017.
We noticed that the amount mentioned in the viral claim – Rs 685 crores – was the total subsidy given in 2011.
In 2011, the total subsidy for the Haj pilgrimage was Rs 685 crores.
(Source: Ministry of Civil Aviation/Altered by The Quint)
Months after the Centre rolled back the Haj subsidy, the Tamil Nadu government announced a subsidy of Rs 6 crores for Haj pilgrims in July 2018, reported The Economic Times.
Next, we looked for subsidies given for other pilgrimages in India.
Was Haj the only subsidised pilgrimage?: No. While the Centre does not grant subsidies for pilgrimages, several states give subsidies for different yatras to Hindu pilgrims.
In July 2022, the Karnataka government announced cash assistance of Rs 5,000 to 30,000 pilgrims in the form of direct benefit transfer (DBT) to Kashi Yatra pilgrims travelling to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
In May 2017, the Gujarat government announced a Shravan Tirth Darshan Yojana which allocated four crore rupees for senior citizens travelling to major and minor pilgrimage sites in the state by bus. It mentioned that those availing the scheme would get a 50 percent concession for bus fares.
Financial assistance for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: We also came across a tweet from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster's Office's verified account, which said that CM Yogi Adityanath had announced financial assistance of one lakh rupees for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
Similarly, the Rajasthan government offered one lakh rupees in financial assistance to 100 pilgrims for the same yatra, which would be given after the completion of the pilgrimage in 2019.
In 2006, the Madhya Pradesh government too announced that it would reimburse 50 percent of the cost incurred (up to Rs 30,000) for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra's pilgrims.
The Haryana government also provides financial assistance for this yatra, along with the Sindhu Darshan and Swarn Jayanti Guru Darshan yatras, after completion.
The National Government Services Portal's website shows several subsidies by the Haryana government.
(Source: National Government Services Portal/Screenshot)
Lastly, the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state governments also provide subsidies or financial assistance to Christian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem.
Conclusion: The claim that the Haj pilgrimage's annual budget exceeds Chandrayaan-3's budget is false, as the subsidy was scrapped in 2018. Moreover, the amount of Rs 685 crores mentioned in the viral claim was the subsidy amount only in 2011.
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